Latios212's YouTube Channel

[Dudeman]

I broke into Ben's super secret arrangement studio and stole his future arrangements while he was sleeping.

AHA! SO YOU ADMIT IT!

[Latios212]

[Wii] Super Smash Bros. Brawl
"Coin Launcher" by The Deku Trombonist

I should, uh... slow down a bit maybe. And read the notes too. Graah the issues of trying to fit a performance in between studying for midterms.

Enjoy~

[Bespinben]

Happy Latios212 Appreciation Day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzgW8oesLLw

[Latios212]

Hi, it's been a while.

[Wii] Kirby's Epic Yarn
"World 1: Grass Land" by Oronoco

It is! It's so easy to play, too. (Clearly, everyone should play it. ))

[Sebastian]

*Like*

[Dudeman]

the piano is tuned :')

[Oronoco]

Oh wow, thank you so much for sharing this! I've been really stressed out lately, but at the same time, everyone on NSM keeps doing little things that make me feel incredibly happy again.

[Latios212]

Haha I'm glad you all enjoyed it! I don't have much time nowadays to record and re-record particularly difficult songs, but I'm really glad you like what I do manage to pull off :3

[daj]

the piano is tuned :')

That! ^^

Finally get to watch this after eyeing it for most of the week! Impressive work on both sides! Looing at your wrist-work (wink) makes me want to give this piece a shot, and if you've got awesome performance devices like that (ie. pianistic elements that feel good to execute) chances are it stems from a fantastic arrangement.

Great job Oronoco for (what I assume to know is) a well-done arrangement! The piece is beautiful, and whether or not it follows the original isn't a concern when your performer has executed your piece convincingly. Great stuff ^^

Much cheers to Latios for a very clean performance (and good cover-ups, hehe), thoughtful pedalling, tightly locked rhythms, and passion and clarity of thought above it all. Sounds great, might take this sheet for a spin one day

Great job everyone!~

[Pianist Da Sootopolis]

Noice m8

[Latios212]

[Wii] The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
"Romance in the Air" by Bespinben

This song is a lot of fun to play, and gave me some much-needed arpeggio practice. I didn't realize how many other piano covers of this song were out there until after I had finished recording. Of course, I feel the need to make it better than any other existing cover, and well, although I'm really pressed for time nowadays so I didn't get to re-record and iron out the mistakes as much as I wanted, I do like that Ben's arrangement (which I solo-fied from the one on site) provide a thicker texture that better emulates the orchestral sound in the original, particularly the intro. Enjoy!

[JDMEK5]

Very nice, my friend. Seriously. Though if I could give you a piece of technical advice:

Watching your left hand, it looks like you have a lot of tension going (especially when I see the thumb). Drop your arm weight more and roll your wrist around some to get around. The way I see it I wouldn't be surprised if you get sore in your fingers/wrist after a while.

[daj]

So I finally got of my arse to write about this after much productive time was spent on other things. haha welp who am i kidding i was gaming it all away

Long one! ^^ Cuz you deserve it. <3

Generally, great job, as with your previous cover! ^^ Sensitive playing, passionate climax, the touch of an angel (which is um, frowned upon by pro pianists but bleh this is vgm and i dig it), and generally a good sense of tempo. Extra kudos for the latter, cuz that's a devil. I enjoyed your interpretation a lot, and felt like I was floating over the world! Which, hopefully, was what you were going for.

That being said, JDMEK made a great point and I'd like to add on to it. A lot. :p

You've chosen...a very tough piece to properly execute. I listened to the original, and once again Bespinben (and your solo-fies) has found a fantastic way to bring pianistic elements in to spice up what would sound terrible as a transcription. But long string chords are infinitely easier to write and execute for the purposes of transition when compared to moving bass lines in the piano. Yep, transitions - I think that's one of the main areas where your execution wasn't perfect.

To pinpoint the issue, your transitions tend to be "washy" due to the lack of contrast. And that's a very common intermediate-advanced level problem, no worries ^^

Very nice, my friend. Seriously. Though if I could give you a piece of technical advice:

Watching your left hand, it looks like you have a lot of tension going (especially when I see the thumb). Drop your arm weight more and roll your wrist around some to get around. The way I see it I wouldn't be surprised if you get sore in your fingers/wrist after a while.

This is where JDMEK5's comment comes in! I mentioned the touch of an angel, and this is one of the reasons why you can create that tone. If all your pressure is on your wrist, then it's really hard to transfer your weight to your fingers. I'd really love to help you with this, but sadly correcting this involves a more hands-on (bahaha) approach where I grab your hand and help transfer tension. So if you really wanna correct this finding a teacher or expert friend is the way to go ^^

~

Technical issues aside, here's some musical considerations you can make

While I get good chills from hearing you pull off sensitive sections/pieces with your touch (see Canalave <3, your recent Kirby one), and this piece could really use some sensitivity, it also demands transitions to four subtly contrasted sections in slightly over a minute. I'd argue that executing these transitions right is the most important part of this piece, and that's where your cover slips up a little

In a good score, the contrasts you need to make should be quite clear with some close reading, and since you "solo-fied" it, you're probably very sure of how the music moves and where you need to add in some extra kick. For the purpose of the review I won't check out the score - from your playing alone I've got a pretty good idea of where the sections are and how they work.

Here's some ideas on how the transitions work and how they can be executed better:

The first section is rhythmically floaty and generally gentle - you did this well and it immediately captured me. The section after that though has a left-hand arpeggio pattern that finally solidifies the rhythm. To very clearly mark the incoming section, you could gradually add more definition to the bass notes until you sink in with a firmer touch on the new section.

From that to the opening "recap" we've got a major toning down of energy, and that's what you need to bring out. More pedal smearing, right hand "fade-out", and a small break before the return (which you kinda did, so nice!).

Finally, the final part with that Irish-esque jig melody shouldn't float in out of nowhere, even though the bassline is the same. To bring in the jig melody, gradually ease up the pedalling, then add extra emphases to each strong beat once the melody comes in, especially on the first one. Because, um, Irish people do that. Or something.

(side note: zelda games tend to use this style of BGM for their castle fairs and forest minigames. basically, the peaceful places link wakes up in before shit happens and everything goes dark)

~

All that said, you can't talk transitions without talking technique. (alliteration yeaaahhh) To properly gradate little elements you need to have control of your fingers and all the other physical stuff. It's one of the toughest parts of learning performance, ahaha.

But as I mentioned, it's not nice to give you a course on technique in a forum post, because it doesn't work. I just thought it'd be opportune to talk about the road ahead for a pianist at your level, hehe. Cuz you're awesome like that.

~

To round this up, you've got a great interpretation of a tough track, and your touch is really sweet and feel-good-y. If you wanna make greater musical expressions though, it's on technique and maybe a little bit of score analysis skills. You're one of the more pleasant pianists to listen to on Youtube, so yeah! ^^ Do consider~

Whew! That was long and entertaining. Hope it makes sense, PM me if anything, and much cheers buddy

[Latios212]

[3DS] Pokémon Sun & Pokémon Moon
"Hau's Theme" by dajwxp

This theme is way too freaking happy just like Hau. I love it.

[daj]

So um, with Lat playing lots of chill Pokemon tracks like Canalave and the Surfing (RSE) theme on his channel, I really didn't expect to see this. He's got great skill, but fast and crunchy tracks like these are ones that I wouldn't consider doing on a whim. Yet Lat sent me a file labelled "Take 1" about two days after I released this, so...wow. His hands are made for these tracks guys, hint hint

That being said, brilliant performance. Fantastic execution of the left-hand part (came out much bouncier than I'd thought), lots of energy, great show. And above all, essentially no rushing. I love it, and I really respect the effort and time you put into this humble arrangement. Much cheers, lots of love man